Descendants of the Sun, Ep. 5-6: When Honor and Duty Call

This week’s episodes of Descendants of the Sun served up a whole lot more action and intrigue as the story finally starts picking up the pace. After Captain Shi-jin (Song Joong-ki) finally made the moves — that doesn’t include witty and/or snarky remarks — on Dr. Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo), their relationship becomes complicated, yet slightly comedic.

It is during these moments after their G-rated and KBS-approved lip-locking that series writer Kim Eun-sook brings out more of her signature rom-com flair. Quite appropriately, the tension subsides as the two main characters make an attempt at reconciling their emotions with one another through more of their playful banter.

While the romance and love affairs in the series have continued to progress (we finally see Ye-hwa’s mysterious husband Dr. Daniel Spencer who’s played by Cho Tae-kwan), the underlying conflict of the drama finally emerges. By now, it is hinted that Urk is somehow a nation recovering from a recently concluded war or dispute, hence the deployment of the UN Peacekeepers.

Reality strikes hard for Urk in the form of sleazy smuggling operations and black markets that were only very mildly hinted at in the beginning (almost in passing, to be honest), yet have somehow taken a fuller and more concrete form as the series finally introduces to us Captain Argus (David McInnis), a gang leader who was previously Shi-jin’s military comrade.

This is where Dr. Daniel’s involvement in the series is justified. While most of us might have initially thought that the undoubtedly handsome Daniel Spencer was meant to add on to the ever-growing group of eye-candy, his character was made to be the middle-man of sorts — the native with the more reliable and insider knowledge, if you can call it that.

Since it might have been difficult for the production team to actually obtain more committed and full-time foreign acts, Daniel Spencer as this Eurasian-Korean was probably the next best thing. In episode five, he explains to Mo-yeon Shi-jin’s line of work, a topic that the charismatic captain himself has constantly avoided for the sake of preserving his relationship with Mo-yeon. For exposition, there’s definitely something to look forward to in Daniel’s role in the future episodes of the series.

As mentioned in the past review of Descendants, the meatier aspects of the series used to come in short and random bursts. Yet with episodes five and six, the previews and coy sneak-peaks are finally traded in for some more extensive exposition on the drama’s conflict. In these new episodes, the Haesung Powerplant plot re-emerges and is used as as a supplement for more sneaky corruption issues that ultimately add on to what seems to be a dangerous partnership within certain individuals from the Haesung Group and the notorious black market gangs in Urk.Predictably, another general theme played out during these newer episodes. While episodes three and four substantiated the parallels of sacrifice in war and love, episodes five and six granted viewers a greater picture of honor and duty.

As we all know, Sergeant Major Dae-young (Jin Goo) has returned to Korea after being ordered by his commander, who is the father of Lieutenant Myeong-ju (Kim Ji-won). It is through military honor that Dae-young believes that letting go of Myeong-ju was the right thing to do; and yet it is also through the honor of love that Myeong-ju continues to reconnect with Dae-young.

Our leads didn’t shy away from doing the honorable thing as well. After finishing up his deployment in Urk, Shi-jin was made to return to Seoul, leaving Mo-yeon behind. The two come to an agreement that their respective professions are definitely making it hard for them to create an ideal relationship. Shi-jin carries on with his honor as a soldier and a patriot while Mo-yeon, after consistently proclaiming that she isn’t ‘one of those selfless kinds of doctors’ insistently stays behind as a medical aid after a freak earthquake ravages Urk.

As usual, this week’s episodes saved the most thrilling parts for the end, as the Haesung medical crew very dramatically tends to the injured during the latter half of episode six. It is also during this ordeal that Onew steps it up with his acting and for a moment breaks out of his quirky Onew image, finally embodying the very innocent, first-year resident Dr. Chi-hoon who is actually becoming one of the more interesting characters in this series.

From the get-go, Chi-hoon has been characterized as the chaebol doctor — rich, handsome, and full of hopeful idealisms. His breakdown after failing to save a patient is his character’s moment of development in which his illusions on what it means to be a doctor are shattered. However, it is reinforced with a much more substantial and fresher perspective — that of the genuine honor and duty of a doctor.

With much faster pacing, one can only expect more in the episodes to come; especially when it seems that Kim Eun-sook’s trend of including themes and emotions relevant to war, honor, and service has become a lot more consistent in its incorporation into the narrative. Indeed, Descendants of the Sun is certainly very deserving of every honor that it has been receiving since its premiere.

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Of comic book papercuts, dog-eared novels, tear-soaked case digests, and series re-runs. Identifies as a YG stan and understands that nobody disses YG better than YG stans. Will do anything to get the attention of MAMAMOO's Moonbyul.

Also, with Onew’s character, he wasn’t so much upset about the fact that his patient died, but was more upset because his patient died because of his inexperience and oversight. He misjudges his patient’s condition and puts the yellow band on him which gives other doctors the signal that the man was going to be okay. If he had put the red band on from the beginning, the man could’ve been saved if a much more experienced doctor stepped in. To him, he very well killed this man, and my sister, who is a nurse, teared up during the scene because she said this was almost a rite of passage for someone in the medical profession.
I also agree that his chaebol background influenced his emotions in the scene. He had led a sheltered life and grew up with romanticized notions about the life of a doctor and all of that was shattered in the face of real tragedy. In fact, this may have been the first death he had ever seen.
I’m also actually glad they played up the quirky Onew image before this. His unending innocence and optimism in the earlier episodes just made the contrast so much starker. I am also really proud of Onew himself. Sure, he isn’t the best actor out there, but he did very well. The scene itself may come off as over the top but he pulled it off well.

vivi

that scene also get me, 1st as Dr Chi hoon that always happy, clumsy but optimist, the disappointment feel so real since he actually really want to the work when the project announce,
after it ends, I said to myself “It’s Onew crying T.T”

bigmamat

Really? The only scene in the entire episode I found random and forced was indeed inserted for you kpop obsessed. Let’s give Onew a chance to emote for the fan girls. Otherwise that scene had no lead up and was so overwrought and forced it stuck out like a sore thumb. Guess it served it’s purpose.

Ananya

why are you so bitter? it sounds like you’re just upset kpop fans watch the show rather than being upset about the scene itself.
The scene was out of place sure, but it was a good chance for Onew to showcase his acting and revealed interesting things about a character that I;m sure will play a bigger role in the upcoming episodes. And let me just say a lot more people than just fangirls were impressed with the scene, guess you don’t live in Korea nor do you read Korean articles and so forth as I do.

bigmamat

No I don’t live in korea but I do watch a lot of drama and the idol pandering is real. I’m not “bitter” but I do stand by my statement that it came off as though it was just inserted for fan girls.